A Tales of Phantasia Christmas!
by GoldenTalesGeek
Summary: Arche invites Cless, Mint and Chester to a Christmas party at her new home in Ymir Forest. What sort of things will happen? Find out for yourself! Chapter 5 up! I should warn you. The beginning of the 5th chapter may be inappropriate for younger readers.
1. Chapter 1: The Invitation

GoldenTalesGeek: Hello, and a merry Christmas to all! I've decided since I haven't written anything for the several months -due to my horrendous college homework- I'd remind my loyal readers that I still exist by writing a holiday-themed story for _Tales of Phantasia!_ Chester, would you mind giving the disclaimer?

Chester: Why me?

GoldenTalesGeek: Because you are my favorite character from _Tales of Phantasia,_ that's why!

Chester: (sighs) Fine. GoldenTalesGeek doesn't own the rights to _Tales of Phantasia_. That solely belongs to Namco.

GoldenTalesGeek: Thanks, Chester. I hope you guys like this…

* * *

A _Tales of Phantasia_ Christmas

Chapter 1: The Invitation

It was unusually snowy around the newly rebuilt village of Toltus this winter. It was even enough to close the Alvein School of Sword-Fighting. But it wasn't enough to deter Cless Alvein, the head of the School, from his daily training regimen. _"Demonic Swallow Kick!"_ he roared, lunging at the training dummy he had set up. It was the first Secret Skill he had ever mastered, and he practiced it whenever it was possible to do so.

Once he unleashed the attack on the dummy, Cless then unleashed another technique. _"Sword Rain!"_

A young woman dressed in the uniform of a healer came down the stairs. "Training again, Cless?" she asked him.

"You never know when a big threat like Dhaos was will arise, Mint." Cless replied in between swings.

"That's true, but you mustn't overexert yourself." Mint said cautiously.

Cless stopped and sighed deeply. "I know…" he said, his eyes narrowing, his thoughts turning to his dead parents.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. "I wonder who that is." Mint said.

"I know it's not Chester." Cless said, sheathing his sword. "He's still in Euclid, doing some intensive training."

Mint opened the door and came face-to-face with an Elven messenger. "Excuse me, I'm looking for Cless Alvein or Mint Adnade." The messenger said.

"That's us." Mint said.

"Arche Klaine asked me to give you this." The messenger said, handing Cless a letter.

"Huh. We haven't heard from Arche in a while." he remarked.

"Yeah," Mint agreed. "I wonder what she's writing us about."

"Let's see." Cless said, opening the letter.

He read it over. "What is it?" Mint asked, noticing the smile that appeared on Cless' face.

"Arche is inviting us to a Christmas party at her home in the Elven Colony!" he replied.

"What?!" Mint asked, surprised.

"Here," Cless said, handing her the letter. "Read it for yourself!"

Mint took the letter and read it aloud: _"Dear Cless & Mint,_ _I'm sorry for not writing since your last visit. I've been busy settling down with my mother in the Elven Colony. The Elves have started to allow half-Elves like myself to live there, which is definitely a step in the right direction. Anyway, I was wondering if you guys would like to come to a Christmas party at my new home. Send an RSVP as soon as possible!_ _With love,_ _Arche._ _P.S. Chester can come too! P.P.S. I will have a couple of special guests coming! They're looking forward to seeing you!"_

"I wonder who she meant by 'special guests'?" Cless asked.

"You don't think…?" Mint asked, looking at Cless in wonderment.

Cless shook his head, understanding what Mint was implying. "I don't think it'd be possible." he said.

"Well, we'd better send Arche a response." Mint said.

"I'll go write it right now!" Cless said excitedly.

Cless quickly ran upstairs and wrote out a response. He put it in an envelope, sealed it with the emblem of the Alvein School of Sword-Fighting, and then ran it down to the Elven messenger.

"Thank you." The Elf said. "I will take this to Arche as soon as possible."

With a blinding flash of light, he was gone. "It seems the Elves have learned to teleport themselves from place to place magically." Mint remarked.

"Sure beats time-travel." Cless said, rubbing his eyes.

"Well, we'd better go find Chester in Euclid." Mint said.

"Yeah," Cless said. "Arche _did_ say we can bring him."

So, after locking up the School, Cless and Mint headed north towards Euclid, where their friend was continuing to hone his skill as a bowman.

Meanwhile, in Ymir Forest, the Elven messenger had delivered Cless' message to Arche. After reading it, she smiled. "This is gonna be one Christmas they'll _never_ forget!" she said to herself.

* * *

GoldenTalesGeek: I know, it's a bit short, but hey, I haven't written in a while, so cut me some slack, OK? Please let me know what you think of Cless and Mint living together. I really thought that should be the case, as it's not really mentioned in the game where Mint lived, and I figured after all she'd been through, she wouldn't want to live alone. 

Mint: Oh, I'm sure they'll embrace it just fine.

GoldenTalesGeek: Thanks Mint. You know, I was initially planning this as a one-shot, but I decided I'm too used to chaptered stories to write it as such. Well, I've blathered on for long enough. I let you guys read and review!


	2. Chapter 2: Chester & Running into Arche

GoldenTalesGeek: Hello, and welcome to chapter #2! So, let's get started! Arche, if you would be so kind?

Arche: Okay, I'll do it. (Winks) GoldenTalesGeek doesn't own _Tales of Phantasia_. That belongs to Namco.

GoldenTalesGeek: Thanks Arche. Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 2: Chester and Running into Arche

As Cless and Mint approached the gates of Euclid, they wondered where would be a good place to start looking for Chester. "You take the northern part, and I'll take the southern part." Mint said.

"All right," Cless said. "We'll meet in the town square in a couple hours."

A couple of hours later, Cless and Mint arrived at the town square. "Any luck?" Mint asked.

"No," Cless said, shaking his head. "I'm usually so good at finding him, too…"

Suddenly, an arrow whizzed through the air, heading straight for Cless' head! Instinctively, Cless drew his sword and slashed at the arrow, slicing it to pieces. "Heh. It appears you've been doing some training yourself, Cless." said a voice overhead.

Cless and Mint looked into a nearby tree. There, crouched on the topmost branch was Chester, with his bow in his hand and a smile on his face. "Chester!" Cless exclaimed.

Chester leapt from the tree, and landed on the ground with a soft landing. "It's nice to see you guys." he said.

Mint gave him a friendly hug. "It's nice to see you too, Chester." she said.

"So, were you guys looking for me?" Chester asked.  
"As a matter of fact, we were." Cless said.

"What's up?" Chester said.

"Arche has sent us an invitation to a Christmas party," Mint said. "She also said you could come, too."

"I'd love to go," Chester said, smiling. "But, I'm sincerely hoping her cooking skills have improved over the past 100 years."

Cless laughed in spite of himself. "You're just not going to let that go, are you?" he asked.

"Of course I'm not going to!" Chester said indignantly. "It took forever to wash the flavor of that mango bread out of my mouth!"

"Arche also mentioned she's having some 'special guests' coming to the party, too." Mint said, deliberately changing the subject.

"Oh, really?" Chester asked, surprised. "Who?"

"She didn't say." Cless said.

"It's not like Arche to keep secrets." Chester remarked.

"I know," Mint agreed. "That's makes me feel suspicious."

"We should definitely head to Ymir Forest to really find out for sure." Cless said.

"How are we going to get there?" Chester asked.

Cless reached into his pocket and took out the Wing Pack he had received from the future. "Oh, yeah… I forgot about those things." Chester said.

"Let's leave the town so we don't have people watching us." Mint advised.

"Good idea," Cless agreed. "These things haven't been invented yet, so we don't want to mess up history."

The three friends quickly departed the town. Cless then raised the Wing Pack in the air, and three TechBirds appeared as if they had just popped out of thin air. "All aboard!" Cless announced.

Each of them boarded their TechBird and flew off towards Ymir Forest. The flight gave Cless, Mint and Chester a feeling of elation they had not experienced since Dhaos' defeat.

Meanwhile, Arche was flying her broom back towards Ymir Forest, having finished her Christmas shopping in Alvanista. She was really hoping Chester would come to her party. Ever since they had first met, Arche felt a strong bond with him that she had never felt before. Although she acted indifferent towards him, the truth was she really liked him.

Of course, Arche couldn't bring herself to admit it out loud because Chester had shown a similar indifference towards her. It made her wonder if Chester shared similar feelings towards her. That's one of the reasons she wanted Chester to come, so she could finally admit her feelings. Another was to have the whole gang back together again, even if it was just for one night.

Suddenly, Arche heard the whining of an engine powered by magitechnology. Sure enough, when Arche looked up, there were Cless, Chester and Mint, all riding those TechBirds they had gotten from the future. They didn't see her. "Hey, you guys!" she said, waving her arms in the hopes of get their attention.

"Isn't that Arche?" Mint asked, pointing ahead.

"Oh my Goddess, it is!" Cless exclaimed.

"There's no time to get out of the way!" Chester said.

"He's right!" Cless said, horrified. "Mint, warn her!"

"Arche!" Mint shouted, waving her hand desperately. "Get out of the way!"

Arche tried to get out of the way, but it was too late: Cless' TechBird had run into her. Arche flew off her broom and she found her falling at frightening speed towards the ground. Chester quickly flew his TechBird underneath Arche and caught her in his arms. "Nice of you to drop in." he quipped.

"This is no time for jokes!" Arche said, blushing slightly. "We've gotta get my stuff!"

Cless flew to the side of both of them. "You mean this broom?" he said, holding it up.

Mint flew by. "And these packages?" she prompted.

"Yeah, that's them!" Arche said. "Give 'em back!"

"Let's get you on the ground first." Chester advised.

They flew their TechBirds down near Ymir Forest, and Cless put them back in his Wing Pack.

"What are these?" Cless asked, eyeing the packages.

"Presents." Arche said simply.

"Oh, damn it!" Cless said.

"What's wrong, Cless?" Mint asked.

"I forgot to do my Christmas shopping." he said.

"I did too, as a matter of fact." Chester said.

"I _knew_ I had forgotten something!" Mint said, snapping her fingers.

"I just finished." Arche said. "But, don't worry. You guys can do your shopping tomorrow. Alvanista has a pretty good selection!"

"But, where are going to rest?" Cless asked.

"No biggie." Arche said. "You guys can rest at my house."

"It's in Ymir Forest, right?" Mint asked.

Arche nodded. "Don't worry. You'll be allowed in," she said. "I spoke to the Elf Elder about it."  
So, the four friends walked into Ymir Forest, towards the Elf Colony. Little did Cless, Chester, and Mint know that they would be in for a big surprise once they reached Arche's house…

* * *

Arche: Ooooh! A cliffhanger!

GoldenTalesGeek: Yes, it is. Of course, I normally don't do this, but in this case, it seemed to fit.

Cless: Are you going to write chapter 3 yet?

GoldenTalesGeek: Working on it, Cless! Well, please read and review! I want at least 5 reviews before I put up chapter 3!


	3. Chapter 3: The Reunion of Old Firends

GoldenTalesGeek: Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and welcome to chapter 3! I started writing this on immediately after posting chapter 2. Sorry if it took awhile! I'm hoping to get this story done ASAP! Let's see, who hasn't done the disclaimer yet…? Would you mind doing it, Suzu?

Suzu: It would be my honor, Golden-san. GoldenTalesGeek does not own_ Tales of Phantasia_. That belongs to the company known as Namco.

GoldenTalesGeek: Well done, Suzu. You may go continue your training. The rest of you, however, can read the chapter

* * *

Chapter 3: The Reunion of Old Friends

"Well, here we are." Arche said as they approached her highly decorated house.

"It's a very nice house." Chester said.

Arche blushed slightly. "Thank you, Chester." she said. "Well, let's head inside, shall we? We mustn't keep the 'special guests' waiting…"

"Arche, just who _are_ the 'special guests'?" Mint asked, suspicious.

"You'll see…" she replied, opening the doors.

Suddenly, Klarth and Suzu jumped out from behind Arche's furniture, shouting _"Surprise!"_

Cless, Chester, and Mint just stared in numb shock. "What's the matter with you three?" Klarth asked. "You guys are acting like you're looking at a ghost."

"H-how did you guys…?" Cless asked.

"Get here?" Klarth finished.

Cless nodded. "Arche-san used the time machine in the ruins of Thor and brought Klarth-sensei and I here for her celebration." Suzu explained.

"Funny, I would've thought you would've used it to get into mischief, Arche." Chester remarked.

Arche playfully smacked Chester upside the head. "You would!" she said.

"I think it would be good idea to get some food and catch up," Klarth said.

"Yeah, that's a good idea." Cless agreed.

"You guys stay here," Arche said. "I'll get the appetizers."

Chester waited until Arche was out of the room, and then muttered to Klarth, "Let's hope they're edible."

"Yes, I'm hoping for that as well, Chester." Klarth said, nodding in agreement.

"I heard that!" Arche said sharply.

"Dang, she has good hearing," Chester said.

"Well, Elves have much sharper senses than us humans." Klarth said. "It would make sense that Arche, being a half-Elf, to have inherited those senses as well."

"That's right, Professor Klarth." Arche said as she came in, holding a tray laden with appetizers. "Enjoy, you guys!"

Klarth looked at her in shock. "What's the matter?" Arche asked.

"You haven't called me 'Professor' in a long time." Klarth said.

"Well, as you once told me, 'Old habits die hard'." Arche replied.

Cless picked up one of the appetizers and eyed it suspiciously. He had good reason to, as the memory of Arche's mango bread had wafted into his mind's eye. Cless quickly shook his head to clear the cobwebs, and put the appetizer in his mouth. A warm, cheesy flavor flowed into his mouth. He quickly chewed it and swallowed it. "Well?" Chester asked. "How is it?"

"Delicious!" Cless exclaimed. "What are these?"

"Cheddar cheese popovers," Arche said. "My mom's secret recipe."

"Try one, you guys!" Cless said excitedly.

One by one, everyone else ate a popover. Cries of approval filled the air. Klarth said he has had nothing like it before. Suzu said it practically dissolved in her mouth. Mint said that they were absolutely delicious. Even Chester couldn't deny that they tasted good.

"I'm so glad you guys like 'em!" Arche said. "I'm gonna start on dinner now!"

"Why don't you go help, Chester?" Cless suggested.

"What?" Chester asked, blushing profusely. "Why me?"

"Well, it'll awfully tough for Arche to carry all those dishes all by herself." Mint said.

"She can use her magic to help her out!" Chester said.

"Yes, but even magic like that has its limits." Klarth said.

Chester sighed deeply. "Fine, I'll go help her." he said with resignation.

"Attaboy!" Klarth said, clapping him on the shoulder.

Chester reluctantly set his bow and quiver down and headed for the kitchen. He was mildly surprised by the pleasant smells that were coming from there. "What'cha doing in here, Chester?" Arche asked, not looking up from the spinach leaves she was chopping.

"Cless and the others figured you could use some help in here." Chester said. "I can't figure out why, though."

Arche chuckled. _So, they're trying to play Cupid, are they?_ She thought to herself.

"What's so funny?" Chester asked.

"Nothing really," Arche said. "Just a little joke I heard a while back…"

Chester could tell she wasn't being honest. "Seriously Arche, what's so funny?" he asked.

Arche stopped chopping the spinach and looked at him. "If you're gonna help, would you please grate some cheese for me?" she asked, handing him a bowl, a cheese grater and a hunk of fresh provolone cheese before back to her chopping.

Chester stared at the half-Elf in disbelief. _Gee, I wonder what's gotten into her._ Chester thought as he grated the cheese.

As Arche stirred the chopped spinach into her broth, she glanced furtively at Chester and sighed deeply. _I wanna tell Chester how I feel right now!_ Arche thought as she added the pasta.

"That smells really good, Arche." Chester said.

Arche jumped in surprise. "Chester, you startled me." she said.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to," he said. "Anyway, what are you making?"

"Tortellini soup," Arche said. "It was one of my favorites as a kid."

"What's the cheese for?" Chester asked.

"It's a topping for the soup." Arche said.

"Interesting…" Chester said. He wasn't looking at the soup anymore. He was looking at Arche.

Arche was looking at him too. "Are you okay?" Arche asked.

No response. "Hello?" she said, waving her hand in front of his face.

Still nothing. Finally, Arche shot out a mild burst of cold ice magic in Chester's face. The effect was like water being splashed in his face. That brought him back. "I'm sorry, I spaced out for a moment…" he said, rubbing his eyes.

"It's not that big a deal," Arche said, thinking otherwise. "Why don't you go set the table? The soup's almost done."

"Okay, sure." Chester said, grabbing some dishes and leaving the kitchen.

Arche sighed deeply when he left the room. "I almost kissed him," she muttered to herself. "Dang it…"

She tasted the soup, was satisfied that it was good enough, grabbed the cheese and headed for the dining room. "Soup's on!" she announced, putting the cheese on the table.

"Where is it?" Klarth said.

"In the kitchen," Arche said. "You're going to have to ladle it out yourself. The pot's much too heavy for me to carry out here."

"Then, what's the cheese for?" Cless asked.

Arche was about to respond, but Chester answered for her. "It's a topping for the soup." he said.

"Thank you, Chester." Arche said.

"Don't mention it." he said with a smile.

Soon, everyone had sat down at the table with a bowl of soup. The continuing cries of approval while her friends ate the soup made Arche so happy, she almost cried.

* * *

GoldenTalesGeek: I think I'll end it here. It's nice to end on a high note, wouldn't you agree? 

Arche: Yep! Hey, wait a minute, they actually ate my cooking and _liked_ it?!

GoldenTalesGeek: Well, you've had 100 years to perfect your skills, which is more than enough time, I think.

Arche: Humph. You sound like Chester.

Chester: Heh. At least he reminds you of someone…

Arche: What are you implying?

Chester: Nothing.

Arche: What do you mean nothing?!

GoldenTalesGeek: Alright you two, get a room. (sigh) Please review! I'll try to have the next chapter up ASAP!


	4. Chapter 4: Arche’s Mother

GoldenTalesGeek: Welcome to chapter 4! I'm gonna save my rambling 'til the end, so… Cless?

Cless: (sigh) Fine. GoldenTalesGeek owns nothing!

GoldenTalesGeek: Good job! Enjoy the chapter, everyone!

* * *

Chapter 4: Arche's Mother and Sharing Feelings

After dinner, Arche showed everyone where they would be sleeping. Once they were alone, Chester asked her, "Hey, where's your mother?"

"Oh, she's still running the inn," Arche said. "It's a lot of work. Sometimes, she doesn't get home 'til pretty late."

"You _do_ spend time with her, don't you?" Chester asked.

"Of course I do!" Arche said sharply. "Why wouldn't I?"

"I'm sorry," Chester apologized. "It must be hard to getting to know your mother after she left you like that."

"Yeah," Arche said. "But, it's nothing compared to what you've had to deal with emotionally."

Chester nodded sadly. "My parents died when I was 10," he said. "I was forced to raise my sister Ami all by myself. And then, to lose her…" Chester began to choke back his tears.

"Its okay, Chester," Arche said, placing her hand on his shoulder. "It wasn't your fault."

Chester took her hand in hers. "I know, but it still hurts." he admitted.

"It'll continue to hurt for a while, Chester," Arche said. "But, if there's one of the several things I've learned over these past 100 years, it's this: It's always best to talk about your feelings with someone, and not keep them bottled up."

"Sound advice." Chester remarked.

"Yes, it is," Arche agreed. "Well, here's your room, Chester. Have a good night."

"Thanks," Chester said, smiling. "You too, okay?"

Arche nodded and headed downstairs. She headed to the kitchen and put some of her soup in a container. She placed it on the dining room table, and went to get her cloak. Arche bundled it tightly around her. She then grabbed the soup container and headed out the door.

Chester saw Arche leave the house through his window. He knew where she was going: to visit her mother. Chester considered for a moment to follow her, but thought better of it. He lay back down on his bed and went to sleep.

Arche knocked on the door to the inn. Arche's mother Luti opened the door. "Come in, Arche." she said.

"I brought you some soup that I had made for my friends." Arche said, handing her the container.

"Oh, are your friends here already?" Luti asked, surprised.

Arche nodded. "What about that special someone you told me about?" Luti prompted.

"Who do you mean?" Arche asked, blushing slightly.

"That young man with the long, silvery-blue hair who uses a bow." Luti said, putting the soup on the stove.

Arche blushed again. "Chester?" she asked in a small voice.

"That's him," Luti said. "Is he here as well?"

Arche nodded. "Yeah, he's here, and it's been really difficult." she moaned.

"What's been difficult?" Luti said.

"Telling him how I feel!" Arche snapped.

Luti winced slightly. "I'm sorry Mom," Arche apologized, giving her mother a hug. "I'm just terrified Chester's going to reject me."

"I felt the same way with your father," Luti said, patting her daughter on the back.

"Yeah, but I'll bet none of your friends were trying to get you two together, right?" Arche said, breaking the embrace.

"That's right," Luti said, ladling some soup into a bowl. "But, in the end I decided to say it to him after talking to him for a while. Then, I let him make the decision on whether he wanted to be with me or not."

"You make it sound so easy." Arche remarked.

"It's as easy as you want it to be, Arche." Luti said sagely. "Is this why you decided to visit me tonight?"

"It was partly that," Arche said, "But also because Chester asked about you tonight while I was showing him where he'd be sleeping."

"Why don't you tell me about him," Luti suggested. "Who knows? It might help you find the courage to tell him how you feel."

Arche sighed deeply. "It's all right, Mom," she said. "But I think your advice is enough to help me."

"Okay, if you say so," Luti said.

"I'm gonna head back home and get some rest," Arche said. "Good night, Mom."

"Good night, Arche," Luti said, giving her a hug. "Sleep well."

"You too," Arche replied.

Arche left the inn and bundled her cloak tightly around her. Then, she heard rustling in a nearby bush. "Who's there?" Arche asked.

Suzu emerged from the nearby bush. "It's just me, Arche-san," she said.

"Were you listening?" Arche demanded.

"I didn't intend to," Suzu said. "I was merely out for my evening training, and I saw you at the inn talking with your mother. My curiosity got the better of me and I began eavesdropping. I'm sorry."

"It's all right, Suzu," Arche reassured the young ninja. "I just needed to talk to someone about my feelings for Chester."

"So it's true," Suzu remarked. "You really do care for Chester."

"Why do you say it like that?" Arche asked.

"When we journeyed together to fight Dhaos and his minions, I noticed a connection between the two of you." Suzu said.

A warm smile crossed Arche's face. "You're smarter than you look." she said.

"Our lives as ninja force many like children like me to mature at an early age." Suzu explained.

"That would explain why you act so much like an adult," Arche remarked.

A hint of a smile appeared on Suzu's face. "I'm going to get back to my training now, Arche-san." she said.

"Okay, good night." Arche said, nodding.

The young ninja leapt onto a nearby tree branch, and then leapt towards the forest and out of sight. Arche sighed and headed towards her house. When she opened the door, Arche was surprised to find Chester sitting at the table, drinking something. "Hey," Chester said.

"Uh, hey," Arche said. "Um, what are you drinking?"

"I just needed a cup of hot chocolate," Chester said, taking a sip. "Want me to make you one?"

Arche nodded. Chester headed to the kitchen to get a cup of hot chocolate for Arche, as well as more for himself. When he came back, Arche was already sitting at the table. "Thank you," she said, taking the glass.

"You're welcome," Chester said.

Arche took a sip. "Mmmm…" she murmured.

"Is it good?" Chester asked.

Arche nodded. "It's really rich, like how my dad used to make it," she said. "How did you know?"

"Ami liked it the same way," Chester said, referring to his sister. "Sometimes if she couldn't sleep, I'd make her some to make her feel better."

"That's so sweet," Arche said.

"Hey, what big brothers for, Chester asked, laughing a little.

He then noticed Arche's troubled look. "Is something wrong, Arche?"

"Well, there's this guy I really care for, but I was having trouble expressing my feelings," Arche explained. "So, I went to talk to my mom about it."

"It's not Cless, is it?" Chester asked. "He told me about the time you jokingly asked him to marry you."

Arche laughed and shook her head. "No, it's not Cless," she said. "Besides, he likes Mint."

Chester almost choked on his hot chocolate. "You're kidding!" he exclaimed.

Arche shook her head. "I'm not joking, Chester," she said firmly.

"Now I've got something else to pick on him about," Chester muttered. "So, who is it that you really like?"

Arche took in a deep breath and let it out. She looked Chester right in the eye, and said only two words: "It's you."

There was no denying the look of surprise that was on Chester's face. "Wow," Chester murmured. "I did _not_ expect that."

"I'm sorry," Arche apologized. "Maybe I should've waited."

"No, no!" Chester said, shaking his head. "It's all right. In fact, I was gonna, um…"

"What?" Arche asked.

"I was gonna tell you I cared for you, as well," Chester said, blushing furiously.

"Oh, Chester…!" Arche sighed, planting him a kiss on the lips.

When their lips parted, a smile crossed Chester's face. "Is that the best you can do?" he playfully taunted.

Arche shook her head and kissed him again. This time, it was much deeper and warmer than the first one. "Arche…" Chester murmured.

"Yeah, Chester?" Arche murmured back.

"Let's go to my room." he replied.

"You sure you want to?" she asked, surprised.

Chester could only manage a nod. Arche just nodded back and took her hand in his. As they headed up the stairs, Arche looked back at where they were sitting. She noticed a piece of mistletoe she had never seen before hanging directly over their seats.

* * *

GoldenTalesGeek: I think I'd better end the chapter here, before I begin to push the limits of the rating I gave this fanfic, if you get my meaning 

Mint: All right! They're together!

GoldenTalesGeek: That's right, Mint! I was initially planning that romantic moment for a future chapter, but the opportunity with the hot chocolate was too good to pass up, so I brought it here. Ironically, while I was writing it, I was listening to "Terra's Theme" from _Final Fantasy VI_. I don't know why, I just felt the sudden urge to listen to it. Anyway, very special thanks to everyone who reviewed! Especially Sakura Irving, who has fully supported me in pairing up Chester and Arche during our many IM sessions, which are really fun! Well, I'd better get started on chapter 5! See ya!


	5. Chapter 5: Christmas Shopping

GoldenTalesGeek: Welcome to chapter 5! I'm glad everyone appreciated me bringing Chester and Arche together like that. I'm sorry for taking so long to get this chapter up, though.

Arche: Although, it seems that Sakura Irving was a little sensitive about you implying about pushing the limits of this fanfic's rating a bit.

GoldenTalesGeek: Don't worry about it, Arche. She and I have already sorted out all that. Hey, since you're here, please do the disclaimer.

Arche: Alright. GoldenTalesGeek does not own _Tales of Phantasia_. That belongs to Namco.

GoldenTalesGeek: Thanks! Enjoy the latest chapter everyone. I should warn you: the beginning of this chapter may be inappropriate for younger readers.

* * *

Chester 5: Christmas Shopping

Cless was walking down the hallway, singing a song his mother used to sing to him as a child. Then he opened the door to Klarth's room and said, "Good morning, Klarth!"

Immediately, the summoner bolted upright in his bed. "Oh… Cless," he groaned, rubbing his eyes. "Don't… do that again."

Cless smiled in spite of himself. "What's the matter, Klarth?" he asked. "Didn't sleep well?"

Klarth scoffed. "How could I," he asked the swordsman indignantly. "With _them_ on the other side of this very thin wall?!" He gestured towards the room that Chester and Arche had occupied for the night.

"A bit noisy, were they?" Cless said, laughing.

"Arche was bad enough, but Chester!" Klarth spat angrily. "He was louder than she was. He actually sounded like he was exerting himself."

Cless put his ear to the wall. "I don't hear anything now." he said.

"Well, they're between bouts," Klarth said bitterly. "Give them a few seconds."

The summoner yawned and flopped back down on the bed. In Chester's room, both his and Arche's clothes were strung out all over the floor. Both of them were in the bed, under the covers, and Chester was showering the back of Arche's shoulders with kisses and stroking her hair. "Mmm…" Arche cooed. "That feels nice…"

"Hang on a minute," Chester said.

The archer then began to bang his fist against the wall and moan passionately. In his room, Klarth bolted upright in the bed again. "By the Goddess Martel, there they go again!" he exclaimed. Cless just snickered in reply and left the room.

Chester kept banging on the wall and moaning until Arche stopped him. "You were louder than that, believe it or not." she said, laughing.

Chester laughed and started kissing Arche on the lips. There was then an abrupt knock at the door. "Chester, would you mind telling Arche that we'd like some breakfast before we go out to do our Christmas shopping?" Mint asked.

"Gotcha, Mint." Chester replied in between kisses.

"Thank you." Mint said. Her footsteps were then heard walking away from the door.

"Why can't they serve themselves?" Arche asked.

"Well, after the nice little appetizers and the fantastic soup you made last night, I'm sure we're all very curious as to your abilities with cooking breakfast." Chester replied.

"Well then, I'd better get right to it, shouldn't I?" Arche said, getting up and heading for the door.

Chester, still in the bed, then cleared his throat loudly and said, "Clothes."

Arche's face turned beet red, making a sharp contrast between her skin and her pink-colored hair. "Right," she mumbled. "Clothes are a good thing."

"They usually are," Chester replied.

"Oh, be quiet!" Arche snapped, putting her hair back into her trademark ponytail.

Soon, both Arche and Chester were dressed. "Aren't you coming?" she asked Chester.

"I'll be along in a minute." Chester replied.

"Okay," Arche said, kissing him and leaving the room.

Chester flopped back down on bed. "Well Ami, I've found her," he said aloud, as if he was talking face-to-face to his kid sister. "I hope you're happy now."

He then got up off the bed, and left the room. He ran into Cless in the hallway. The swordsman was still snickering from earlier. "What's got into you?" Chester asked.

"Both you and Arche kept Klarth up last night," Cless said, laughing.

Chester laughed out loud. "It's not _that_ funny!" Klarth's indignant voice sounded from his room.

"You'd better tell Arche to make Klarth some strong coffee for him." Cless suggested in a low voice.

"Okay, I can do that," Chester said, nodding. "If you tell me when you began liking Mint."

Cless was taken aback. "H-how did _you_ find out about that?" he demanded, blushing furiously.

"Arche told me last night while we were having hot chocolate," Chester explained.

"I should've known better than to tell Arche…" Cless grumbled. "But, to answer you, I've liked Mint since we talked about her mother's unicorn earrings back before we fought Dhaos for the final time."

"I thought so," Chester said. "Well, I'll go tell Arche about the coffee. See you downstairs."

"See you," Cless said.

Chester headed downstairs and entered the kitchen. Arche was busy scrambling eggs. "Hey," she said. "What kept you?"

"Cless stopped me in the hallway," Chester explained. "He said Klarth needs some strong coffee to drink."

Arche laughed. "We kept him up last night, didn't we?" she asked.

"That's what Cless said," Chester replied, nodding.

"All right, I'll fix some for him while I'm whipping up breakfast." Arche said.

"I'll let Cless and Klarth know," Chester said.

"Good, I don't want you spoiling my special breakfast surprise for everyone!" Arche said, shooing the archer out of the kitchen.

As soon as Chester was out of the kitchen, he poked his head back in again. "No kiss?" he asked.

Arche kissed him on the cheek. "There, I kissed you," she snapped. "Now, please get out!"

"Okay, okay," the archer conceded, and left the kitchen

Arche sighed deeply. "Sometimes, I really don't know about him…" she muttered to herself as she went back to preparing breakfast.

Soon, the dining room table was covered with food; a huge bowl of scrambled eggs, a large platter of pancakes, one plate of bacon, another with sausage links, two huge pitchers; one filled with milk, the other with freshly squeezed orange juice, and a large pot of coffee. After setting the table, Arche walked to the edge of the stairs and called out, "Breakfast is ready!"

Immediately Cless, Chester, Mint and Suzu were downstairs, with Klarth lagging behind. "Oh, I'm definitely getting too old…" he moaned.

"That's nonsense, Klarth!" Arche snapped. "I'm older than you, and I still feel great!"

"Well, you're a half-Elf," Klarth grumbled. "I'm only a human. There's a big difference."

"Fair point," Arche agreed. "Anyway, let's enjoy a little breakfast, hmm?"

Cless and Chester gaped at the feast of breakfast food spread out before them. _"This_ is a little breakfast?" they asked.

"All right, maybe I got a little carried away…" Arche replied, shrugging her shoulders.

After breakfast, everyone headed out the door to do their shopping. Chester was the last to leave. "I can't promise I'll find you a good present," he said to Arche. "But hey, I'll try and look, all right?"

Arche laughed. "Just find your way back here, ok?" she said, kissing him on the cheek.

"I will," he replied, kissing her in return.

"C'mon, Chester!" Cless shouted. "The TechBirds aren't gonna fly themselves!"

"Be right there!" Chester shouted back. "See you later."

"See ya," Arche said with a wink.

Chester rushed over the rest of the group. "Sorry," he said.

"It's all right," Mint said. "I'm sure Arche wanted to say good-bye in her own special way."

Chester cleared his throat. "Uh, yeah," he replied. "Yeah, I guess you could say that."

Cless brought out the Wing Pack and released the TechBirds. "You know, I never thought I'd have drive one of these again," Klarth said, eyeing the magitech vehicles and shaking his head in disbelief.

"Oh, you'll be fine, Klarth," Cless assured him. "It's a lot more comfortable than when I riding Pegasus. Man, I thought I wasn't gonna walk right for the rest of my life."

Chester laughed as he got onto his TechBird. "I remember you telling me that, Cless," he said. "I never quite believed it, though."

This time, it was Cless' turn to laugh. "Hey, why don't you ask Arche about it later, Chester?" Cless suggested as he got on his TechBird. "She was flying with me at the time. Only she was on her broom."

"Let's just get going, Cless," Klarth said as he boarded his TechBird. "The sooner we get our shopping done, the better."

"All right, all right," Cless said with a sigh.

Everyone started the engines on their TechBirds and flew off towards Alvanista. In a manner of seconds, they had landed in a nearby forest, which was a perfect cover for them to repack the TechBirds without any of the citizens of Alvanista seeing anything. "All right, they're all packed," Cless said. "Let's go."

The group exited the forest and entered the town. People were looking up, pointing towards the sky, and scratching their heads in confusion. "It seems some of them have spotted the TechBirds," Klarth whispered to Cless.

Cless nodded in agreement. "Mention the TechBirds to no one," Cless admonished the group. "Understood?"

Everyone nodded. "Hey, let's meet up at the Adventurer's Guild after our shopping's done," Klarth suggested.

"Good idea," Cless agreed. "It's a good place to grab a bite to eat."

And the party went their separate ways. A little later, Chester ran into Cless in a shop that sold women's dresses. "What are _you_ doing here?" they asked each other.

"I'm looking for a nice dress for Mint," Cless said.

"I'm looking for a dress too, only for Arche," Chester replied.

Cless picked a beautiful, flowing white-colored dress with gold-colored lining for Mint. It looked similar to her healer's uniform, and yet it also looked different. Chester picked a very nice pale blue-colored dress for Arche. It looked like something Arche -with her tomboyish attitude- would be happy to receive, yet indignant to wear.

The store offered to gift wrap the boxes for Cless and Chester, who gladly accepted. They paid the gald for the dresses and went their separate ways to buy stuff for the rest of the party. Pretty soon, everyone was the Adventurer's Guild, getting a bite to eat. "So, was everyone's shopping fruitful?" Cless asked as he took a bite out of his sandwich.

Everyone nodded their heads. While they were eating, they discussed what customs they observed during this time of the year. "It is customary in Japoni for people to make presents for one another instead of purchasing them," Suzu said.

"That would explain why you purchased raw materials instead of just presents," Klarth said.

Suzu nodded in reply. "Before Toltus was destroyed, the whole town would celebrate Christmas by having a festival," Cless said.

"Oh yeah," Chester said, remembering. "There were games for the kids to play, plenty of food, live music, and the town square was set up for people who wanted to dance."

"Sounds pretty fun," Klarth remarked. "I wish the Euclid in my time period was bustling with that much activity around Christmas."

"What's wrong?" Mint asked. "Don't you guys celebrate Christmas?"

"Oh, we do," Klarth replied. "It's just pretty low-key compared to Toltus. We just gathered at my house and exchanged presents."

"Why at your house, Klarth?" Cless asked.

"It was the only house big enough in Euclid to accommodate everyone," Klarth replied.

"That reminds me," Cless said. "Why didn't Milard come with you? Was she invited?"

"Oh, she was," Klarth said. "She just didn't want to come. Milard's never been a very social person. She did say I could go, as long as I didn't do anything very detrimental to Aselia's timeline."

"I guess that makes sense," Cless replied.

"How about you, Mint?" Chester asked. "How did you celebrate Christmas?"

"Before my father died, we used to just exchange gifts," Mint said. "It was nothing too fancy. In fact, this is the biggest thing that I've ever done during this time of the year."

"Well, let's finish our lunch and head back to Arche's house," Cless suggested.

"Yeah, I hope she's okay," Chester said without thinking.

"Chester's got a girlfriend, Chester's got a girlfriend…" Klarth whispered teasingly.

"At least I told her how I felt!" Chester whispered back tersely. "Cless hasn't even told Mint he likes her yet!"

"Cless likes Mint, huh?" Klarth asked.

"Yeah, Arche told me last night," Chester replied.

"Hmmm…" Klarth murmured, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

"What?" Chester asked.

"It looks like we're going to have to play matchmaker again…" Klarth replied.  
"What do you mean by 'again', Klarth?" Chester asked.

Klarth was taken aback. "You mean, Cless and Mint never told you about Nancy and Elwin?" he asked.

Chester shook his head. "They never mentioned it."

"Well, let me tell you what happened…" Klarth said.

The summoner proceeded to tell the young archer the story of how they brought a young couple from the past together, and about their marriage. "That explains why Arche jokingly asked Cless to marry him," Chester said after Klarth had finished his story.

"That's right," Klarth said, nodding. "That's also why I feel we have to play matchmaker again. Although, Suzu's a little bit young to be involved in this,"

"So you, Arche, and I have to try to get them together?" Chester asked.

"Precisely, Chester!" Klarth exclaimed, patting Chester on the back.

"What are you guys talking about?" Cless asked.

"Chester needed some relationship advice," Klarth lied.

"Are we leaving soon?" Chester said, feeling uncomfortable.

"Yeah, I just paid the bill," Cless said. "Let's get back to Ymir."

A few minutes later the party departed Alvanista, and headed into a nearby forest. Cless released the TechBirds, and everyone flew off. As they approached Arche's house, she came running out of the front door and leapt into Chester's arms. "So, find anything good?" she asked.

"You'll have to wait and see," Chester replied.

"Aw, you're no fun," Arche said with false disappointment.

"If that's the case, why did you choose to be with me?" Chester asked teasingly.

"You're a good kisser." Arche replied, kissing him.

"Okay, you two," Cless said. "That's enough. Let's go inside."

Chester set Arche back down. "Killjoy," they chorused.

Once inside Arche's house, she asked if anyone was hungry. "We're full, thanks for the offer, though." Klarth replied.

"I didn't make breakfast _that_ filling, did I?" Arche asked, taken aback.

"No, we stopped at the Adventurer's Guild for lunch after we finished our shopping," Chester said.

"Ah, I see," Arche said. "Well then, I'm gonna go to my room for a bit."

"I'll go with you, Arche," Chester said.

"Okay," Arche replied. "I could used the company,"

Chester went to follow her, when Klarth grabbed his arm. "Be sure to tell her about us planning to get Cless and Mint together." he whispered.

Chester just nodded in reply. He then followed Arche up the stairs. "What did you tell Chester?" Cless asked.

"I just wanted him to tell Arche about something he and I were discussing earlier," Klarth replied.  
"And, what was that?" Mint asked.

"Don't worry about it," the summoner replied cryptically. "You'll know in due course."

Meanwhile, in Arche's room, she and Chester were visiting a blissful world of their own making…

* * *

GoldenTalesGeek: Whew! I finally got this chapter done! I hope you guys don't react too negatively as to how I started this chapter. I was struggling with how to do so, and I wanted it to be funny, but I didn't want to push it too far.

Klarth: As far as I'm concerned, you nearly crossed the line!

GoldenTalesGeek: Pipe down, Klarth. It wasn't _that_ bad! Well, read and review!


End file.
